Once you are set-up, you’ll want to add some security. Especially if you plan for your Wi-Fi to be used by the public or volunteers to ensure no one can access anything illegal, age-restricted, or harmful. Don’t let this put you off as you can protect yourself and your visitors with some easy-to-follow steps.
With the instructions and options for your router, you will be given access to your broadband settings which will allow you to select the content that users can view. These settings will be called parental settings, web safe, broadband shield, or similar. Handy guides are usually available on your provider’s website and will provide you access to control settings such as:
- Blocking access to webpages with viruses
- Blocking phishing and malware
- Blocking access to sites containing unsuitable or illegal content
Your provider will then scan a site as it’s loading and deny access if it falls within your set parameters.
You will also need to think about your router’s location. Someone plugging in direct with an ethernet cable could be harmful. It’s recommended to keep it in a safe location like a secure lockable room such as an office.
It is also good practice to change your Wi-Fi password on a regular basis and display the password in the building for those who are using it. This will help limit other connections within range.
Lastly, it’s best practice to display a notice to make it clear to users that the use of public Wi-Fi is at their own risk. For further detail, you can see the previous news article we released How to use public Wi-Fi safely – Digital Durham
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